U.S. Pat. No. 2,714,456, which issued Aug. 2, 1955, to the present inventor, describes a car parking system which comprises three spaced and parallel, multiple story parking units with suitable craneways therebetween for storing a large number of cars in individual stalls on each story of each unit. As pointed out in the patent, mechanical parking systems are known in which cars are loaded by suitable crane mechanisms in stalls arranged on multiple tiers. The prior art systems generally utilize a crane-way running between two multiple story parking structures, and each structure has a row of stalls on each story to receive the cars from the elevators which move horizontally and vertically in the crane-ways.
The storage system described in the patent, comprises three multi-story parking units extending transversely across a parking lot in parallel with one another and spaced from one another longitudinally of the lot by suitable crane-ways.
Each parking unit disclosed in the patent comprises a ground story and a number of upper stories above the ground story. The parking units are of substantially rectangular shape, and each includes a longitudinal row of stalls extending along each story and open at their ends to the crane-ways. Elevator mechanisms are mounted in the crane-ways, and the elevator mechanisms are adapted to move vertically and horizontally to service the various stalls on each story of the various parking units.
The elevator mechanism in the first crane-way services both the first parking unit and the center parking unit, while the elevator in the second crane-way services both the center parking unit and the third parking unit. Therefore, the center parking unit may be loaded from each end, and its stalls extend from one end of the unit to the other, and each of its stalls is open at both ends. This creates a problem, in that a dolly entering a stall from one end by the first elevator mechanism may inadvertently move completely through the stall and fall through the other end.
The present invention provides a carrier mechanism which is intended to prevent such a happening. The barrier mechanism to be described comprises a spring-loaded barrier mounted at each end of each stall in the center parking or storage unit. Each barrier may be turned inwardly from its upright position by the dolly, as the dolly enters the stall from the corresponding elevator platform to deposit a car in the stall. The particular barrier at the end at which the dolly entered the stall is held down by the dolly until the car is deposited in the stall and until the dolly is returned to the elevator mechanism. Then the barrier springs up to an upright position, so that a dolly entering the stall from the other end is prevented from moving through the first end.
The car may be retrieved from either end of the stall by the dollies on the first or second elevator mechanism, since the dollies may enter the stall from either end, and thereby turn down the barrier at that end and hold the barrier down until it has retrieved the car and has returned to the elevator. In each case the dolly is prevented from passing through the other end.